Furniture
Every piece of furniture has a practical purpose regardless of how simple or grand it is, even if some pieces were built more for display than function. Today, furniture remains one of the largest areas of the antiques market and items are categorised by type and period.
The term brown furniture refers to traditional pieces made from dark woods such as mahogany, while pieces made from native woods like oak and walnut are sometimes referred to as vernacular furniture.
Famous historical makers include Chippendale, Gillows, William Vile and John Cobb. More recent market trends have seen modern vintage pieces appearing in specialist design and ‘Interior’ auctions.
Seven bestsellers from significant Scottish and Welsh house contents sales
30 March 2017Just like buses, you wait a long time and then three significant house contents sales turn up at once. This week saw the auction of items from the Scottish families the Forbes of Pitsligo and the Earls and Marquesses of Lothian at Sotheby’s. This was followed the next day at Bonhams by the sale of the contents of Lord Harlech's Welsh family home Glyn Cywarch in Gwynedd. A selection of the highlights are pictured here:
Furniture dealer Rolleston sells William and Mary marquetry cabinet to international museum
27 March 2017Kensington Church Street dealer Rolleston recently sold a William and Mary cabinet to an international museum for a mid-six-figure sum.
Dealers aim for business boom
25 March 2017Brothers Ben and Harry Tucker have given new meaning to the term ‘war cabinet’.
Parrots cabinet flies to £66,000
25 March 2017Furniture takes a rare top spot despite numerous and varied delights at Dorchester auction
Bonhams brings best under one roof
18 March 2017Bonhams will conduct the first of a new format flagship sale next month.
Mid-century makes its journey to Hong Kong
18 March 2017Coinciding with Hong Kong sales in March, Sotheby’s is holding a selling exhibition of mid-century European furniture in its Hong Kong gallery from March 20-26.
Mark Twain’s much-travelled trunk on offer at Heritage Auctions
25 February 2017This sturdy-looking ‘stagecoach trunk’ accompanied the great American writer Mark Twain on a great many of his travels. It will be offered for sale at Heritage Auctions in New York on March 8 where the starting bid is $25,000.
The Antique Furniture Index ends after 48 years
25 February 2017Having produced the Antique Furniture Index since 1968, expert and author John Andrews has, at the age of 80, decided to end his annual audit of the trade.
Chelsea dealer sells George II table to Leeds’ Temple Newsam House
16 February 2017The London dealer Godson and Coles of Fulham Road has concluded the sale of this George II period brass-inlaid mahogany metamorphic table to Temple Newsam House.
Antique rug dealer updates traditional pieces for a contemporary look
11 February 2017Antique rug dealer Joshua Lumley has designed a range of star-patterned rugs based on Persian zilu flatweaves.
Cotswold School Arts & Crafts furniture up for auction in Cheltenham
03 December 2016Arts & Crafts furniture from the collection of a former boss of brewing giant Mitchell & Butler will be offered at The Cotswold Auction Company this month.
Landlord agrees to let restorer stay in north London shop after petition
29 November 2016A north London independent antique restorer who faced eviction has got the go-ahead to stay.
Piece of Eiffel Tower staircase sells for over €500,000 at Paris auction
26 November 2016Like the Statue of Liberty or Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower is symbolic of the skyline of one of the world’s great cities. The ultimate Parisian souvenir, sold in model form to tourists round the world, what would you give to have a piece of the real thing to take home?
Anne Estelle Rice painting emerges at Folkestone auction
22 November 2016A still life by American painter Anne Estelle Rice (1877-1959) and a piece of early English furniture are among the top items on offer at Grand Auctions’ upcoming sale on December 12.
George II tripod table comes to auction
22 November 2016Did John Channon or Frederick Hintz make this table? This is the question that potential buyers of a George II pewter and brass inlaid tripod table will be asking themselves.
Dealer helps Fitzwilliam track down trophy mirror in France
21 November 2016The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge hopes to raise the final £65,000 needed to buy a 17th century gilded mirror frame for its collection.
Five funky designs drawing serious bidding at Sotheby’s David Bowie auction
15 November 2016The stand-alone design section at Sotheby’s auction of the David Bowie collection followed in much the same vein as the Modern & Contemporary art. High demand for items from the singer’s collection led to a ‘Bowie premium’ with 13 records posted for individual designers and an overall total of £1.11m from 100 lots.
Collecting on trend: Sotheby’s capitalises on youth market with second dedicated design auction
14 November 2016Sotheby’s second dedicated design sale in London is set to appeal to the base of younger buyers whom specialists say have taken an interest in this market.
Lord Harlech to sell family collection at Bonhams
14 November 2016The new Lord Harlech, music video-maker Jasset Ormsby Gore, is offering 400 items at auction from his family estate.
Call for bids for Regency-period stonework
08 November 2016A Regency-style façade from Cirencester that has been in storage for a decade will be up for sale in Guildford later this month.
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